Trichotillomania Support in Illinois

Find a therapist in Illinois who understands trichotillomania. Whether you pull your own hair or you’re supporting a child or someone you love, search by city or town, from Chicago to Springfield, for someone near you, or choose Online to see who works with people anywhere in Illinois.

Find a therapist for trichotillomania in Illinois

Illinois is home to the Picking Me Foundation, a Chicago nonprofit for skin picking and other body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). Its free online group welcomes people who pull. Finding a practitioner who understands hair pulling is harder, especially outside Chicagoland. It’s the reason this directory exists.

The directory includes therapists, counselors, psychologists, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners, NLP practitioners and coaches. Every listing shows how that person works, whether they see people in person, online or both, and what they charge. Each one has a private contact form.

From Rockford to Carbondale, you can also see who works online across Illinois.

Open the full directory →

Frequently Asked Questions about Trichotillomania in Illinois

Find a Therapist

How do I find a trichotillomania therapist near me in Illinois?›

Search our directory by town or city. Every listing explains how the person works, what they charge and whether they see people in person, online or both. Most in-person options are in Chicago and its suburbs; elsewhere, many people choose online sessions.

Can I have sessions online from anywhere in Illinois?›

Yes. Many people listed work online with clients anywhere in Illinois. Licensed psychologists from other member states can also work with Illinoisans online, and practitioners such as hypnotherapists and coaches aren’t limited by state lines.

How much does trichotillomania therapy cost in Illinois?›

Private sessions in Illinois usually cost $100 to $250, with around $150 to $180 typical and Chicago toward the top. Every listing shows its own prices, some insurance plans pay part of the cost, and many people offer a free first call.

What kinds of help are there for hair pulling?›

People who pull work with therapists, counselors, psychologists, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners, NLP practitioners and coaches. Different people find different things helpful. Everyone in our directory has told us they understand hair pulling and already help people who pull.

Do I need a doctor’s note or a diagnosis to get help in Illinois?›

No. You can contact anyone listed in our directory directly, without a doctor’s note or a diagnosis. Just tell them you pull your hair and you’re looking for someone who understands trichotillomania.

My child pulls their hair. What do I do first?›

Stay steady and don’t tell them off, because pressure and punishment reliably make pulling worse. Start with The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania, and look for someone in the directory whose listing says they work with children and teens.

Are there trichotillomania support groups in Illinois?›

We haven’t found an in-person trichotillomania group in Illinois yet. The Chicago-based Picking Me Foundation runs a free online BFRB group twice a month, and the International OCD Foundation lists more online groups. If you run a group, tell us and we’ll list it.

How common is hair pulling in Illinois?›

About 1 in 50 people have trichotillomania, so roughly 125,000 to 250,000 Illinoisans. It’s a recognized condition, not a bad habit, and it often starts between ages 10 and 13. Learn more in our complete guide to trichotillomania.

How to get in touch with a therapist

You can message anyone listed here directly, without a doctor’s note or a diagnosis.

When you write, say what it is: “I pull my hair. I’m looking for someone who understands trichotillomania.” Their reply tells you a lot.

Most Illinois practitioners work in Chicago and its suburbs, from Evanston and Oak Park out to Naperville and Schaumburg. Smaller clusters sit in Rockford, Peoria, Champaign-Urbana and Springfield. Across the farm country of central Illinois and the hills of the far south, the nearest office can be an hour or more away. Online sessions close that gap.

Illinois was one of the first states to join the agreement that lets licensed psychologists from other member states work with residents online. It hasn’t joined the matching agreement for counselors, so an out-of-state counselor needs an Illinois license to see you. Hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches aren’t bound by these licensing rules.

You can also go through your insurance or a community mental health center. That route exists, and it often takes longer.

How to choose who to work with

People who pull find help from all kinds of practitioners: therapists, counselors, psychologists, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches. Different people find different things helpful, and what matters most is that you feel understood.

If you’d like to check a licensed clinician’s registration, one state agency handles it. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) licenses clinical psychologists and clinical professional counselors (LCPCs). It also licenses clinical social workers and marriage and family therapists. You can look any of them up for free with the IDFPR license check. Many other good kinds of help aren’t licensed by the state at all and belong to their own professional associations instead.

Everyone on this site has one thing in common: they’ve told us they understand hair pulling. On a first call, you can ask:

Have you helped people who pull their hair before?
How do you work? What happens in the first few sessions?
What if I feel it isn’t right for me?

Charities and groups in Illinois

Illinois has no charity just for hair pulling. It does have a Chicago nonprofit for skin picking and related behaviors, and these national and statewide organizations are useful to Illinoisans who pull.

International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)

The main US home for BFRB support, including trichotillomania. Its website explains hair pulling in plain terms, and its support-group listings include online BFRB groups open to people anywhere in the US.

Picking Me Foundation

A Chicago nonprofit founded in 2016 by Lauren McKeaney, who has lived with skin picking for decades. It focuses on skin picking, and its free online group is open to adults with any BFRB, including hair pulling.

OCD Midwest

The IOCDF’s official affiliate for Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. It focuses on OCD and related conditions, and its events and family support groups keep Illinoisans connected to the IOCDF’s wider network.

NAMI Illinois

The state branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, with local affiliates around Illinois. Its free peer and family groups aren’t specific to hair pulling. In Chicago and suburban Cook County, the NAMI Chicago Helpline (call or text 833-626-4244) can point you to local support.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988, any time of day or night, if things ever feel too much to handle on your own. It’s free and reaches trained crisis counselors in Illinois.

Support groups in Illinois

We haven’t found an in-person group just for hair pulling in Illinois yet, so most Illinoisans who pull connect online. For something this private, many people find that easier.

Picking Me Foundation: a free online group for adults on the first and third Tuesday of each month, 6 to 7:30 pm Central, with a suggested donation. All BFRBs are welcome.
IOCDF support-group listings: online BFRB groups that anyone in Illinois can join.
NAMI Chicago: free general mental health peer groups for adults, many held on Zoom.

For parents: our guide The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania helps you understand what your child is going through.

Do you run an Illinois group? Tell us and we’ll list it for free.

Not All Pulling Looks the Same

Many people who pull notice two different patterns. Some pulling happens with full attention. You feel an urge, search for a hair that feels coarse, kinked or out of place, and pull it. This is often called focused pulling. It can come with a build-up of tension and a short sense of relief or satisfaction afterward.

Other pulling happens outside your awareness. You’re reading, driving, studying or watching TV, and only later notice hairs on the desk or the floor. This is often called automatic pulling. Some people are surprised to learn it has a name at all.

Most people do some of both, in different mixes. The mix can shift over the years, and with stress, boredom or tiredness. Some people pull mostly in one room or one chair. Others pull mostly at night.

Knowing which kind shows up for you, and when, can make the whole thing feel less mysterious. It also gives you words to describe it to someone who understands.

Neither pattern is a bad habit, attention-seeking, self-harm or a lack of willpower. Automatic pulling isn’t carelessness, and focused pulling isn’t a free choice in the way people assume. Both are part of a recognized condition.

About this page

Sources: PSYPACT Commission; Counseling Compact Commission; Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (license check, clinical psychology and professional counselor boards); TherapyRoute Illinois therapy cost data (2025); OpenMyPro Chicago therapy cost data (2026); International OCD Foundation; Picking Me Foundation; OCD Midwest; NAMI Illinois; NAMI Chicago; 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Things change. We check this page often, but always check prices and qualifications with the person you contact. This page is information, not medical advice.

Are you an Illinois therapist or practitioner who works with trichotillomania?

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About Illinois

Illinois runs nearly 400 miles from the Wisconsin line down to Cairo, where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi. Chicago, its largest city and the third-largest in the US, sits on the shore of Lake Michigan. Its neighborhoods include the Loop, the city’s business core; Pilsen, known for its murals; and Hyde Park, home to the University of Chicago.

Springfield is the state capital and the center of Lincoln country. Rockford sits on the Rock River and Peoria on the Illinois River. Champaign-Urbana is home to the University of Illinois. Most of central Illinois is flat, open farmland. The far south looks different: the Shawnee National Forest covers rugged hills and sandstone bluffs between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

Attractions in Illinois

Illinois pairs one of America’s great cities with ancient earthworks, Lincoln landmarks and canyon country few people expect in the Midwest.

Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago)

Founded in 1879, the museum moved into its Beaux-Arts building on Michigan Avenue in 1893, built for the World’s Columbian Exposition. Edward Kemeys’s two bronze lions have guarded the entrance since 1894. The collection includes Grant Wood’s American Gothic, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks and Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884.

Lincoln Home National Historic Site (Springfield)

Abraham and Mary Lincoln bought this house in 1844, and it was the only home Lincoln ever owned. The family lived here until 1861, when he left for Washington as president. Guided tours cover the restored rooms, and the four surrounding blocks keep the look of 1860s Springfield. Entry is free.

Starved Rock State Park (near Utica)

Illinois bought the land for this park on the Illinois River in 1911. Its 2,630 acres hold 18 sandstone canyons, many with seasonal waterfalls. The Civilian Conservation Corps built its log-and-stone lodge between 1933 and 1939. The park is named for a legend about a band of Illiniwek trapped on a riverside butte.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (Collinsville)

Across the Mississippi from St. Louis lie the remains of the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico. It may have held 10,000 to 20,000 people at its peak, between about 1050 and 1150. Monks Mound, about 100 feet high, is the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas. UNESCO named the site a World Heritage Site in 1982.

Garden of the Gods (Shawnee National Forest)

In the far south of the state, wind and water have carved sandstone more than 300 million years old into bluffs and hoodoos. A quarter-mile Observation Trail leads past Camel Rock, the formation shown on the 2016 Shawnee National Forest quarter. The overlooks take in miles of the Shawnee Hills. There’s no entrance fee.